FO Friday - 22/2/13

I have managed to get a few more projects done since my last Friday post.  It's good being able to cross projects off my list.  I've finished 4 recently and only started another one because it has an upcoming deadline.

I finished making my headphone cosy using my lovely Wicked wool

Headphone Cosy

• Craft: Knitting
• Pattern: Untangled by Samiha Qureshi
• Yarn: King Cole Wicked
• Weight: DK
• Needle Size: 3.25mm
• Ravelry Project Page

I made knitted hearts in a jam jar for Rob's birthday/ Valentine's Day

Jar of Hearts:

• Craft: Knitting
• Pattern: Hearts by Anna Hrachovec
• Yarn: Various Scraps
• Weight: DK
• Needle Size: 3.25mm or 3mm (depended what was free at the time)
• Ravelry Project Page

When I saw the pattern for these crocheted stars I was inspired to make a garland out of them.  I crocheted the borders for the tops of the stars and the chains to link them together then turned and crocheted back along the bottoms of the stars.  I love how the black borders make the colours stand out

Star Garland:

• Craft: Crochet
• Pattern: Simple Star Ornament by Dennis Marquez
• Yarn: Various Scraps
• Weight: DK
• Hook Size: 4mm
• Ravelry Project Page

We also finished off the beer brewing and bottled all of the lager we made.  I made a mat to sit underneath the beer barrel to protect the floor.

Barrel Mat:

• Craft: Crochet
• Pattern: None - just granny stripes
• Yarn: Unknown Gifted Wool
• Weight: DK
• Hook Size: 4mm
• Ravelry Project Page

FO’s 2013 = 5 + 4 = 9

WIP’s = 15 - 4 =11 (excluding baby booties)

Queued = 11

Catching-up

I feel like a lot has happened since I last posted so we'll have a quick catch-up.

As you may know, I graduate from university in July so have been searching for graduate jobs for several months.  I have been to a couple of assessment centres including one adventure to Leeds.  I got a job offer after the interview in Leeds!!!  I have accepted the offer to work in the company's Sheffield office starting in September.  I've never been to Sheffield but I have friends who went to university there and loved the city.

I'm the first out of my uni group to have a job offer which is exciting but I was one of the first to start applying and the company was unusually quick in offering the job - some companies make you wait a month before letting you know whether or not you were successful.

Another fun event was Rob's birthday (which happens to be Valentine's Day).  His mum and brother came to visit and took us out for a meal - it's amusing seeing people's reactions when you say that you and your boyfriend are being taken out by your boyfriend's mum for Valentine's Day.  

I made Rob a card using an idea I saw on Pinterest:

I also used the fact it was Valentine's Day to include some heart-related gifts:

I used an old jam jar and filled it with hearts

The hearts are made using this pattern - I will include full details as part of tomorrow's FO Friday post

I also decided to make shortbread as I didn't have the right ingredients for any other cookies

These are a couple of the projects I'm working on now that I thought I'd keep you up-to-date with

My granny striped bag

I have now sewn the lining to the crocheted granny square so now I'm about to start crocheting the sides to make it more bag-like.  I'll be using this tutorial for how to do the sides of the bag

Converse Baby Booties

A friend is expecting a baby in March so I'm making some little booties for the baby. 

 The booties shown above use this pattern.  They are really quick to make and so cute!

FO Friday - 8/2/13

I'm still working through my unfinished projects but I managed to finish another 2 this week.

The first is one that I actually finished at the weekend and posted about on Twitter and Instagram.  It is Sheldon (from The Big Bang Theory).  The pattern designer - Jackie Laing from A[mi]dorable Crochet - actually made one and sent it to the actor who plays Sheldon (you can read about it here).

I edited the pattern as I was crocheting it to make it smaller otherwise it would have turned out huge - my crochet Sheldon is 13" tall.  I think he looks great.

The other thing I finished crocheting is a hat that I was aiming to make for Rob for Christmas but I forgot to take a spare ball of wool with me to my parents' house so I couldn't finish it.  It's finished now and is nice and comfy.

The colour looks a bit washed out in this photo but it is bright red.  The pattern for this hat is so simple and the results look great.

Sheldon Cooper Doll:

• Pattern: Sheldon by Jackie Laing
• Yarn: Various DK scraps
• Weight: DK
• Hook Size: 3.5mm

Hat for Rob:

• Pattern: Crochet Ribbed Hat by Kim Mills
• Yarn: Teddy Avril Chunky Knitting (100g)
• Weight: Bulky
• Colourway: Red
• Amount used: 1.25 skeins = 201.3 yards (184.0m)
• Hook Size: 6mm

FO’s 2013 = 3 + 2 = 5

WIP’s = 17 - 2 = 15

Queued = 11

My Busy Week

This week I have been trying to get more organised.  I have made a list of all of the knitting and crochet projects that are currently in progress as well as the percent that each one is complete.  I was quite shocked to see how many projects I am actually working on although some, as seasonal decorations, had been put into hibernation as their season passed - such as the Autumn leaf garland and the stocking garland.

The list made me determined to get my crafting into order and drastically lower the number of WIPs I have at any one time.  I managed to complete the two scarves I was making for the boys at university.  I have given one to the person it was made for but the other is still drying at my house after being washed and blocked.  The scarf was well received and the guy it was made for loved the colour of it - I hope the other one is loved too.

Wine Crocheted scarf:

• Pattern:  Joseph's Scarf by Cheryl Wilson
• Yarn: Sirdar Tweedie Chunky (50g)
• Weight: Bulky
• Colourway: 0284
• Amount used:  2.2 skeins = 239.8 yards (219.3m)
• Hook Size: 6mm

Blue/Green Knitted scarf:

• Pattern:  A Simple Scarf for Anyone by GZ
• Yarn: Teddy Navajo Chunky Knitting (100g)
• Weight: Bulky
• Colourway:  8374
• Amount used:   2.2 skeins = 279.1 yards (255.2m)
• Needle Size: 6mm

As to the other (*whispers* 17) projects I can now see how close to completion I am for each one and can prioritise.  I want to get back to single figures before I start anything new so I'd better hurry as I have a deadline coming up at the start of March for a project I haven't even started yet.

I have not only been busy with crafting and coursework this week, I have also had 2 job interviews/assessment centres.  The interview yesterday was in Leeds so I got to see a bit of the city as I wandered from the station to the company building.  Both job events went well - which is always a relief as I was naturally so nervous beforehand.

FO’s 2013 = 1 + 2 =3

WIP’s = 17

Queued = 11